10-20 – Isthmus EP [Highpoint Lowlife]

An Isthmus is a narrow neck of land that connects two larger landmasses this is just one thing I learnt from the most recent EP in the Landforms series by 10-20 and the other is that this is yet another brilliant piece of work from the Highpoint Lowlife stable. The first EP in the series ‘Island’ was a quality piece of music that continued where the self-titled debut album left off earlier this year, now ‘Isthmus’ comes along with no sign of there being a let up in quality.

At just three tracks long it’s the shortest of the EP’s, the opening track ‘Halogen’ with its punchy breaks and atmospheric reverb kicks things off in style. The synths come off sounding like tangled electrical wires made into sweeping smeared shapes. Everything’s so ghostly you can hear the spectral influence of everything from uk garage to hip-hop in the beats especially. ‘Athens’ has some of the wonkiest bleepy synths of the series yet, the lob sided grooves clatter and roll into mad locked grooves. There is a slightly industrial feeling to some of 10-20’s music and this one is no exception there is a real crunch to the percussion used here. The final track ‘Zizec’ is easily the spookiest, eerie piano can be heard low in the mix as found sounds crunch and clatter around the breaks.

10-20’s musical voyage is an interesting one, it’s like he’s bringing sounds from anywhere and everywhere and morphing them into his own vision of glitchy electronica and hip-hop infused broken garage. And you know what he pulls it off consistently you can get lost in these productions they’re mesmerising.

Out sometime on Highpoint Lowlife, I thought I’d get in early with this one. Two more EPs in the series to come as well keep them peeled.

Download: Future Sounds Of Highpoint Lowlife Mixtape

Download: 10-20 – Landforms Mix

Other 10-20 articles on The // Sonic // Minefield

http://highpointlowlife.com/?p=814

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